Well the testing season for school accountability ratings is done in the state of Texas. As principal of one of the million schools in the great state of Texas I am like everyone else trying to crunch our numbers to see how we performed as a school. This is the third year of me being principal at my campus and you always hear how it takes 3 years to really see how you are doing as a campus.
There are 4 accountability ratings handed out by the state.
1. Unacceptable
2. Acceptable
3. Recognized
4. Exemplary
Your rating as a campus is based on the lowest score of your sub population that counts. In other words if you have one sub population that is in the acceptable range but all others are in the exemplary range then you are an acceptable campus. Also it is possible for a kid to count in more than one sub population.
African American
White
Hispanic
Asian Pacific Islander
Economically Disadvantaged
At-Risk
It is possible for a kid to be white and economically disadvantaged and at-risk. If he does not pass he counts in three areas.
Well my campus is RECOGNIZED for the first time EVER this year. This is HUGE NEWS!!! Of course we get the official word from the state in October but at the moment it is looking really good.
I am so proud of my campus, the kids, and staff. WHOOHOO
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY
Wow we had a great day on Monday. Everyone slept in or stayed quiet until around 8:00 AM. We had breakfast as a family and everyone helped clean up. I got an opportunity to visit with my sister for a while and then I met Tracey and the kids over at Kirsten's house for swimming. The kids swam for about 2 and half hours then came in for a snack and we watched Veggie Tales. The kids passed out in the car on the way home and slept for about two hours. We went over to my parents for a hot dog cookout and home made ice cream.
WHAT A GREAT DAY!! I hope everyone enjoyed times with their families as we observe those who are serving our country or have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom's we enjoy.
Thank you to
My Grandfather Fincannon for his service in WWII. I miss you Grandpa.
My Great Grandfather for his service in WWI and WWII.
My Uncle Wayne for his service in Vietnam
Tracey's Uncle George for his service in Korea- Rest In Peace Uncle George.
Tracey's Uncle Jim for his service in Vietnam
I have much respect for the sacrifices these family members made for their country.
WHAT A GREAT DAY!! I hope everyone enjoyed times with their families as we observe those who are serving our country or have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom's we enjoy.
Thank you to
My Grandfather Fincannon for his service in WWII. I miss you Grandpa.
My Great Grandfather for his service in WWI and WWII.
My Uncle Wayne for his service in Vietnam
Tracey's Uncle George for his service in Korea- Rest In Peace Uncle George.
Tracey's Uncle Jim for his service in Vietnam
I have much respect for the sacrifices these family members made for their country.
Back To WORK!!
Well, I officially start back to work TODAY at a part time basis. I will get to finish off the school year. This has been my goal since the last day I was officially at work on October 1st. I will finish off my contract in June on part time status. Technically I get the month of July off but in reality it is about two weeks. Which is fine. Then in August I will be on full time status.
Thank you to my doctor's and God for helping make this happen.
Thank you to my doctor's and God for helping make this happen.
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A
Tracey's aunt passed away last week after a brief illness. Tracey's mothers side of the family are all in Oklahoma. We have not had the opportunity to visit this side of the family over the passed couple of years because of my health. The funeral is Tuesday but we could not make the funeral. So we decided to fly up to OK on Sunday to pay our respects. We took the kids with us because many folks on that side of the family had not seen Jack since he was a baby and had never seen Caroline. Tracey's sister went with us as well.
We had the kids set. They had some electronic devices to help pass the time as well as coloring books and snacks. They did AWESOME all day. This was their second time on an airplane but the first time on an airplane with Tracey and I. On the way to Oklahoma Jack sat with me and Tracey and Caroline sat with Tracey's sister Kirsten. As is par for Caroline the questions started when she sat down and with the exception of about 7 minutes total asked questions continued through the entire 46 minute flight. Kirsten answered every single question and never batted an eye. Tracey and I usually put Caroline on some type of limit when she gets rolling like that and then we enjoy "quiet time". Jack mean while was glued to either one of the four things. First, the window. Second, his DS. Third, his peanuts. Finally, his Coke. Once we landed we got off the plane and everyone went to the restroom. This is where Jack asked the question of the day. As we were washing our hands Jack looked over at me and said, " Dad, do people in Oklahoma speak English?" My response....Yes Jack they do. We are in a different state not country.
We visited Tracey's Uncle first. They live out in the country and have many different types of animals on their land. Between the goats, Ginni's (sp?), dogs, and cats the kids thought they were at a petting zoo. They LOVED IT. We had to drag Caroline away from the goats.
We then went to visit Tracey's cousin and visited with that side of the family. The kids enjoyed their time here as well and Tracey, Kirsten, and myself enjoyed getting caught up with the family.
Overall we enjoyed visiting the whole family. It was a very nice time.
We flew back the same day. On the way home Caroline and Jack switched. Caroline did not ask near as many questions on the return flight. Jack really enjoyed seeing all of the lights. It was the first time he has ever flown at night. We got to our car and the kids passed out right as I got on the freeway.
It was a very good day. We will definitely be returning this summer to see the goats! Caroline wont let us forget this promise.
We had the kids set. They had some electronic devices to help pass the time as well as coloring books and snacks. They did AWESOME all day. This was their second time on an airplane but the first time on an airplane with Tracey and I. On the way to Oklahoma Jack sat with me and Tracey and Caroline sat with Tracey's sister Kirsten. As is par for Caroline the questions started when she sat down and with the exception of about 7 minutes total asked questions continued through the entire 46 minute flight. Kirsten answered every single question and never batted an eye. Tracey and I usually put Caroline on some type of limit when she gets rolling like that and then we enjoy "quiet time". Jack mean while was glued to either one of the four things. First, the window. Second, his DS. Third, his peanuts. Finally, his Coke. Once we landed we got off the plane and everyone went to the restroom. This is where Jack asked the question of the day. As we were washing our hands Jack looked over at me and said, " Dad, do people in Oklahoma speak English?" My response....Yes Jack they do. We are in a different state not country.
We visited Tracey's Uncle first. They live out in the country and have many different types of animals on their land. Between the goats, Ginni's (sp?), dogs, and cats the kids thought they were at a petting zoo. They LOVED IT. We had to drag Caroline away from the goats.
We then went to visit Tracey's cousin and visited with that side of the family. The kids enjoyed their time here as well and Tracey, Kirsten, and myself enjoyed getting caught up with the family.
Overall we enjoyed visiting the whole family. It was a very nice time.
We flew back the same day. On the way home Caroline and Jack switched. Caroline did not ask near as many questions on the return flight. Jack really enjoyed seeing all of the lights. It was the first time he has ever flown at night. We got to our car and the kids passed out right as I got on the freeway.
It was a very good day. We will definitely be returning this summer to see the goats! Caroline wont let us forget this promise.
Kitchen Make Over Has Started
Tracey and I have had big plans for our kitchen since we moved in three years ago. When we put pencil to paper and figured out what it was going to cost us we had a tab of around $40,000. Now in that figure was the "Pie In The Sky" dream kitchen. But we figured this was our home that we would raise our kids in plus depending on where our kids end up could very well be our last home.
So clearly to pay for this we had to do it in stages or wait for someone to give us 40K. Well I got tired of waiting for someone in my or Tracey's family to cough up the dough. HA!
So where to start? Well we have the original dish washer from when the house was built. So what we decided was to start there. Our list grew though. Our oven is also original so we put that on the list. Then our list grew some more. I was looking at over the counter microwaves because I wanted to get our microwave off the counter. I am big fan of less is MORE on the counter top. Makes the kitchen look bigger then if you have a bunch of crap on it. So I walked out of Home Depot with the following.
1. One Convection Oven- This gives you the benefit of a regular double oven in a single because of the air flow.
2. A microwave- This will be a stand alone unit but by father and I are going to build a shelf above the oven so it will get off of the cabinet.
3. One Dishwasher- Oddly this is probably the thing that Tracey and I are most excited about.
We went with stainless steel on all of the appliances. This will be a major upgrade to the kitchen. We were excited also because we saved about 400 dollars with the 10% off all appliances and TAX FREE on energy saver appliances. These savings allowed us to upgrade to a higher level on the dishwasher and pay for itself. SCORE!!!
Delivery is SATURDAY!!!
Now what is next??? Get rid of wall paper and paint? Shudder's for the kitchen to finish off the house? Flooring? or the biggy....granite countertops???? So much to do...so little money!!
So clearly to pay for this we had to do it in stages or wait for someone to give us 40K. Well I got tired of waiting for someone in my or Tracey's family to cough up the dough. HA!
So where to start? Well we have the original dish washer from when the house was built. So what we decided was to start there. Our list grew though. Our oven is also original so we put that on the list. Then our list grew some more. I was looking at over the counter microwaves because I wanted to get our microwave off the counter. I am big fan of less is MORE on the counter top. Makes the kitchen look bigger then if you have a bunch of crap on it. So I walked out of Home Depot with the following.
1. One Convection Oven- This gives you the benefit of a regular double oven in a single because of the air flow.
2. A microwave- This will be a stand alone unit but by father and I are going to build a shelf above the oven so it will get off of the cabinet.
3. One Dishwasher- Oddly this is probably the thing that Tracey and I are most excited about.
We went with stainless steel on all of the appliances. This will be a major upgrade to the kitchen. We were excited also because we saved about 400 dollars with the 10% off all appliances and TAX FREE on energy saver appliances. These savings allowed us to upgrade to a higher level on the dishwasher and pay for itself. SCORE!!!
Delivery is SATURDAY!!!
Now what is next??? Get rid of wall paper and paint? Shudder's for the kitchen to finish off the house? Flooring? or the biggy....granite countertops???? So much to do...so little money!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
I am STUNNED by this teacher
Okay, I had my parent teacher conference with Jack's teacher. It did not go well. The teacher conference time is 45 minutes. I knew I was up against it because she only gave me 30 minutes of her time.
I come in and thank her for her time and her body language is horrible. I tell she is mad because she won't even look at me. I fight through that and ask my questions regarding Jack's grades. She is very helpful but again won't look at me. She then tells me she just has to get this off her chest but that she found my email questioning her integrity.
DING- ROUND 1- Taken back by this I listened to her and I apologized if I came across this way. She smiled and thanked me. What she found questioning her "integrity" if I shared with you you would find was just asking a question trying to understand what Jack was doing to get out of work in her class so that I could nip it.
ROUND 2- I ask her a question trying to understand her classroom process so I can see how Jack is getting around her system. I shut up and let her talk for about 7 minutes while she explains her "wonderful" teaching technique. When I ask her a follow up question that when she answers shows a GLARING hole in how she holds the kids accountable {and best of all she realized it as soon as she said it,) I asked the following question: So what can we do to make sure Jack has completed the assignment other than looking up and seeing he is in centers and assuming he has done his work when we have already established that he has had a history of putting the "boring" worksheet away and going to the fun centers.
Her answer? Well I could have him show me his work. My answer? SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN....(duh) I thought.
Well her answer to that was that she has been doing this a long time and that is how she will continue to run the classroom as best she see's fit.
My answer to that? Mrs........ I have been doing this for a while myself and one thing I pride myself on is that I continue to improve and "GROW" each year and never assume that just because I have always done something one way does not mean that it is the best way.
You could see her just shake.
She then told me that I needed to be careful because I did not want Jack to become the child that nobody wanted.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
I could not believe she said that to a parent. If I were her principal and I found out a teacher said that to a parent.....oh my GOD!!!
She was pissed so I did not say anything. I thanked her for her time and left.
I did however call the Principal and let her know what she said. I told the whole story to the principal and was honest in that there was fault all around. I was at fault for "offending" the teacher in an email. I should have called so that she could hear my voice and tone. I apologized multiple times for this during the meeting and told the principal that. I also said that I found her comment to me about Jack totally unacceptable and that while I felt an apology was in order I did not expect from Mrs....... because she cannot see that she is at fault for anything. (After all she has been doing this for more than 15 years. AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT AFTER YOU ARE IN A JOB FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS YOU DON'T MAKE MISTAKES.)
The principal totally agreed with me obviously and apologized and ensured me she would talk to Mrs..........
Well are you ready for this??
Mrs. ..... called me this afternoon and TOTALLY FREAKING DENIED SHE EVER SAID THAT!! I WAS FREAKING STUNNED!! I told her um...yeah Mrs...... you did. I know this because I was so STUNNED you would say that to a parent. She again said...no I never said anything like that.
I cannot believe this woman cannot freaking APOLOGIZE for ANYTHING!!!!
I just paused and said....Amazing Mrs..... Well, we are going to agree to disagree and move on. I thanked her for her time and hung up.
I spoke with the principal and told what she did. WHY WOULD I MAKE WHAT SHE SAID UP???? I told her principal she got her Ox caught in a ditch and she is embarrassed and scared and she is trying to cover her tracks.
Unbelievable.....two more ....just two more weeks.
I come in and thank her for her time and her body language is horrible. I tell she is mad because she won't even look at me. I fight through that and ask my questions regarding Jack's grades. She is very helpful but again won't look at me. She then tells me she just has to get this off her chest but that she found my email questioning her integrity.
DING- ROUND 1- Taken back by this I listened to her and I apologized if I came across this way. She smiled and thanked me. What she found questioning her "integrity" if I shared with you you would find was just asking a question trying to understand what Jack was doing to get out of work in her class so that I could nip it.
ROUND 2- I ask her a question trying to understand her classroom process so I can see how Jack is getting around her system. I shut up and let her talk for about 7 minutes while she explains her "wonderful" teaching technique. When I ask her a follow up question that when she answers shows a GLARING hole in how she holds the kids accountable {and best of all she realized it as soon as she said it,) I asked the following question: So what can we do to make sure Jack has completed the assignment other than looking up and seeing he is in centers and assuming he has done his work when we have already established that he has had a history of putting the "boring" worksheet away and going to the fun centers.
Her answer? Well I could have him show me his work. My answer? SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN....(duh) I thought.
Well her answer to that was that she has been doing this a long time and that is how she will continue to run the classroom as best she see's fit.
My answer to that? Mrs........ I have been doing this for a while myself and one thing I pride myself on is that I continue to improve and "GROW" each year and never assume that just because I have always done something one way does not mean that it is the best way.
You could see her just shake.
She then told me that I needed to be careful because I did not want Jack to become the child that nobody wanted.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
I could not believe she said that to a parent. If I were her principal and I found out a teacher said that to a parent.....oh my GOD!!!
She was pissed so I did not say anything. I thanked her for her time and left.
I did however call the Principal and let her know what she said. I told the whole story to the principal and was honest in that there was fault all around. I was at fault for "offending" the teacher in an email. I should have called so that she could hear my voice and tone. I apologized multiple times for this during the meeting and told the principal that. I also said that I found her comment to me about Jack totally unacceptable and that while I felt an apology was in order I did not expect from Mrs....... because she cannot see that she is at fault for anything. (After all she has been doing this for more than 15 years. AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT AFTER YOU ARE IN A JOB FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS YOU DON'T MAKE MISTAKES.)
The principal totally agreed with me obviously and apologized and ensured me she would talk to Mrs..........
Well are you ready for this??
Mrs. ..... called me this afternoon and TOTALLY FREAKING DENIED SHE EVER SAID THAT!! I WAS FREAKING STUNNED!! I told her um...yeah Mrs...... you did. I know this because I was so STUNNED you would say that to a parent. She again said...no I never said anything like that.
I cannot believe this woman cannot freaking APOLOGIZE for ANYTHING!!!!
I just paused and said....Amazing Mrs..... Well, we are going to agree to disagree and move on. I thanked her for her time and hung up.
I spoke with the principal and told what she did. WHY WOULD I MAKE WHAT SHE SAID UP???? I told her principal she got her Ox caught in a ditch and she is embarrassed and scared and she is trying to cover her tracks.
Unbelievable.....two more ....just two more weeks.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Teacher is Scared !
Well here we go. We had the teacher conference scheduled and I was ready to go. Then Mrs. I Got My Ox In A Ditch went to talk to her principal. The principal called in the counselor. And now my parent conference has been moved so that the counselor can be present at our meeting. I swear this lady can't do anything by herself.
I will let you know how this goes.
I will let you know how this goes.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Is it time for a SMACK DOWN?
I have blogged lately about my son's teacher and the way she deals with discipline. I have explained why for the most part I have grinned and looked the other way. The problem is Tracey works in the same building as this woman so I have to figure out how to do this.
I have sent a couple of emails from time to time. I am very nice and try to give the teacher HINTS on how to work with Jack. The problem is she AINT LISTEN' She just goes about doing whatever she wants to do discipline wise.
Her discipline style is what I call the umbrella plan. Just open up a broad umbrella and whoever fits under the umbrella gets in trouble. This was a common plan used by many teachers when I was in grade school. This teacher has done this before. She does not properly monitor the kids in my opinion and since I am in the field of education my opinion matters. Then when a kid does something that she does not see she hammer's who she THINKS did it or was in the direction that she heard something.
I think I am going to set up a conference with her. Last time I did that I found out she got all scared and made arrangements for other teachers to be there and the principal. I am very nice but I think she has me pegged because I am a principal of a school. She can't understand that I am not talking to her as her principal I am talking to her as a parent.
I have to be honest with you though. I don't know how long this woman would last working for me. People who don't take my advise on how to improve usually don't last for me.
I have sent a couple of emails from time to time. I am very nice and try to give the teacher HINTS on how to work with Jack. The problem is she AINT LISTEN' She just goes about doing whatever she wants to do discipline wise.
Her discipline style is what I call the umbrella plan. Just open up a broad umbrella and whoever fits under the umbrella gets in trouble. This was a common plan used by many teachers when I was in grade school. This teacher has done this before. She does not properly monitor the kids in my opinion and since I am in the field of education my opinion matters. Then when a kid does something that she does not see she hammer's who she THINKS did it or was in the direction that she heard something.
I think I am going to set up a conference with her. Last time I did that I found out she got all scared and made arrangements for other teachers to be there and the principal. I am very nice but I think she has me pegged because I am a principal of a school. She can't understand that I am not talking to her as her principal I am talking to her as a parent.
I have to be honest with you though. I don't know how long this woman would last working for me. People who don't take my advise on how to improve usually don't last for me.
Jack and His Friends
Jack has many friends both at home and at school. He LOVES to play with his friends. Here lately Tracey and I have noticed a change in Jack's behavior. He has a very short temper and he just breaks apart if he is not in control of his little world both at school and at home. His behavior chart has been GREEN and YELLOW for over a week. That means he got 1 or 2 strikes a day. He has also been losing his choices based on how he has been reacting to Tracey and myself.
Yesterday was the crowning blow. He was complaining about his tummy hurting. We know that this is where Jack carries his stress. So I went up to school to have lunch with him. He was happy while I was there but as soon as it was time for me to leave he started complaining about his tummy and begging to go with me. When I told him no he just hung his head and cried.
Hold on it gets better.
Last night he started in on Tracey and I during dinner and he started complaining about the tummy again. He got up and announced he had to go to the bathroom. He made it to the entrance of the hallway and then it came....he threw up.
Now when I say threw up I mean PROJECTILE VOMIT. It went 3 feet down the hallway. Then he turned and did the same thing into the den. I just thought...HOLY CRAP!!!! Then rushed over to help Jack.
When we got everything cleaned up Tracey spent about 45 minutes just sitting and talking with Jack in his room. Come to find out a lot of his stress is from a boy who told Jack he did not want to be his friend anymore and Jack does not know why. When Jack tries to talk to the boy about it the boy runs away. The counselor at school is going to be meeting with both boys to see what is going on.
Kudos to Tracey for helping clean up the throw up. Throw up is not her thing. Usually I handle the throw up and Tracey handles poopy. This was a HUGE clean up job.
Yesterday was the crowning blow. He was complaining about his tummy hurting. We know that this is where Jack carries his stress. So I went up to school to have lunch with him. He was happy while I was there but as soon as it was time for me to leave he started complaining about his tummy and begging to go with me. When I told him no he just hung his head and cried.
Hold on it gets better.
Last night he started in on Tracey and I during dinner and he started complaining about the tummy again. He got up and announced he had to go to the bathroom. He made it to the entrance of the hallway and then it came....he threw up.
Now when I say threw up I mean PROJECTILE VOMIT. It went 3 feet down the hallway. Then he turned and did the same thing into the den. I just thought...HOLY CRAP!!!! Then rushed over to help Jack.
When we got everything cleaned up Tracey spent about 45 minutes just sitting and talking with Jack in his room. Come to find out a lot of his stress is from a boy who told Jack he did not want to be his friend anymore and Jack does not know why. When Jack tries to talk to the boy about it the boy runs away. The counselor at school is going to be meeting with both boys to see what is going on.
Kudos to Tracey for helping clean up the throw up. Throw up is not her thing. Usually I handle the throw up and Tracey handles poopy. This was a HUGE clean up job.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A Special Start To My Day
Today I got to take Caroline to school. It was wonderful spending time just with her this morning. After Tracey and Jack went to school Caroline and I watched a little video and then off to school we went. As I was walking her into our church she was so happy. She saw a couple of her friends and their mommy's as we walked in and she had to tell all of them that I was her daddy. She held my hand tight as we walked through the hallway and into her classroom. As I was signing her in I got a HUGE hug and a kiss on the cheek...from her teacher........KIDDING of course it was from Caroline. After that experience I definitely am in a good mood.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
How Did It Happen?
I seem to remember that 6 months ago the Democratic nomination for President was Hillary Clinton's job to lose. By golly she is getting ready to do it. She is about to lose to Obama. I read this morning her delegate lead is down to ONE. Wow, hard to believe it. I have not seen a lead like this get blown since the Houston Oilers were up 33-3 against the Buffalo Bills and lost the game in overtime.
All I know is I am voting Democratic. I have seen what the Republicans can do for the economy I feel like it is time to give another party a chance to fix things. Sorry McCain I respect you for what you have done for our country but I have also seen some You Tube cuts of your anger. DUDE....settle down...take a happy pill.
All I know is I am voting Democratic. I have seen what the Republicans can do for the economy I feel like it is time to give another party a chance to fix things. Sorry McCain I respect you for what you have done for our country but I have also seen some You Tube cuts of your anger. DUDE....settle down...take a happy pill.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Holy Crap! Caroline is WHERE?!? Doing WHAT???
The whether has been really weird here in North Texas the past few months. We get real cool whether followed by warm to hot whether. Plays heck on your allergies.
One warm day my 7 year old son and 4 year old daughter were outside our house in the front riding their scooters. I had the front door open so I could hear them when all of the sudden Jack came bursting through the front door and said...DADDY, DADDY COME QUICK IT'S CAROLINE! I came running and said IS SHE HURT?
He said, NO SHE'S NAKED!!!
I FROZE!!! She's WWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTT??!!?!?!?!?!?!?
I run out there and she is NAKED AS A JAYBIRD riding her scooter. HOLY CRAP!!!
I first yell...CAROLINE GET OVER HERE NOW!!!!
I then look to see if any neighbors are out. Thank GOD they were not.
She got over to me and I got her covered. I asked her WHAT ARE YOU DOING? answer- playing on my scooter. I MEAN...WHY ARE YOU NAKED? answer- I got hot.
Needless to say we had a talk about when we take off our cloths.
One warm day my 7 year old son and 4 year old daughter were outside our house in the front riding their scooters. I had the front door open so I could hear them when all of the sudden Jack came bursting through the front door and said...DADDY, DADDY COME QUICK IT'S CAROLINE! I came running and said IS SHE HURT?
He said, NO SHE'S NAKED!!!
I FROZE!!! She's WWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTT??!!?!?!?!?!?!?
I run out there and she is NAKED AS A JAYBIRD riding her scooter. HOLY CRAP!!!
I first yell...CAROLINE GET OVER HERE NOW!!!!
I then look to see if any neighbors are out. Thank GOD they were not.
She got over to me and I got her covered. I asked her WHAT ARE YOU DOING? answer- playing on my scooter. I MEAN...WHY ARE YOU NAKED? answer- I got hot.
Needless to say we had a talk about when we take off our cloths.
Why Parents Stick With The Sinking Ship
Okay, I am slow but maybe I figured out why some parents stick by their kids story no matter what....... Are you ready for this?
They feel that if their kid messes up that this is some sort of reflection of THEM as parents.
My philosophy? Hey teach them as best as you can and let them go......and hope you don't end up on the news.
Think about my philosophy and let me know what you think.
They feel that if their kid messes up that this is some sort of reflection of THEM as parents.
My philosophy? Hey teach them as best as you can and let them go......and hope you don't end up on the news.
Think about my philosophy and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Kids LIE Part II
Please read previous post first.
This little story of my son Jack kind of proves my point.
My son Jack is wrapping up his FIRST GRADE year. There have been times that he has gotten in trouble and I don't agree with how the teacher handled the situation or that he should even be in trouble. To this point I have not done anything about it for the following reasons.
This little story of my son Jack kind of proves my point.
My son Jack is wrapping up his FIRST GRADE year. There have been times that he has gotten in trouble and I don't agree with how the teacher handled the situation or that he should even be in trouble. To this point I have not done anything about it for the following reasons.
- None of the violations have been serious...he is in first grade
- The consequences are not serious.
- I want to support the teacher and I think it is important that my son realize I am not going to bail him out.
- One instance where it was CLEAR the teacher did not do a good job of investigating I privately just shook my head and let my son serve the consequence. Why you ask? Consequences were already served so there was nothing I could do about changing that and while not fair I wanted to see how my son handled a situation where he was not treated fairly by his teacher. This is going to happen. He passed by the way.
- Good or Bad the teacher is a bit scared of me due to the fact that I am a Principal.
Anyway, one day my son got in trouble for something he did at school. He deserved to get in trouble. When he got home he knew he was going to be in trouble so he told this wild story about how it was not his fault and it was really Sid's doing. The fact that he is 7 means that the story was EXTRA LONG. Remembering when I was a kid and how my dad handled it I just sat there and listened. I then said this to my son.
- Okay, Jack I will call and talk to your teacher and see what she has to say. I want you to remember two things Jack. First, if your story does not match hers then you will be in more trouble for lieing to me and your mother. Oh and remember one more thing...
- THERE IS NOT A KID NAMED SID IN THE FIRST GRADE.
His reaction was funny. He just looked at me for about 2 seconds. Sighed and dropped his head and then said, "Never mind" as he walked off into another room. About 30 minutes later he said, "You know dad there WAS a SID in my kindergarten class." Maybe so Jack but you went to PRIVATE kindergarten at another school. His response? "Dang it" as he turned around and went back to his room.
You gotta give the kid credit for trying.
Message to Parents- KIDS LIE
I get a chuckle when parents want to argue about how their child is treated up at school. The parent will get finished telling this wild story about how their child was treated by the teacher or Assistant Principal and I usually pause when they are finished. I do that so they can let that story sink in and see if they hear how CRAZY this sounds. Usually what happens is when you give them the facts and show them the information we as a school had when making our decision they turn red with embarrassment and you know that some little child is not going to have a good evening.
There are some parents though that will tell you this MYTH of all Myth's
MY CHILD DOES NOT LIE.
I got news for you CHIEF!!!! All kids lie when they are trying to cover up their tracks. They would rather try to turn it around on the school. It's called TRYING TO SAVE MY BUTT.
Like I have mentioned before educators are not perfect and they will make mistakes but when you hear some of these stories you know that the teacher would have to be an idiot to do something like this and that the kid is either twisting the story in their favor or in some instances completely making it up.
Heck I remember doing it when I was a kid. I was a pretty good kid in school but I did get a few detentions here and there my 6th grade year. One week those suckers seemed to just FIND me. In each case I deserved it. I remember trying to figure out a way to where either it appeared I did not deserve it or it was watered down my exact involvement. When I say watered down I mean so much so that instead of being the ring leader I was the one who just happened to be walking by and the teacher nailed all of us....that much watered down. Hey while you are at bat you might as well try for a homerun right?
My dad was hilarious. He would sit there very patiently and listen to my story. He would then say this....
Okay, I am going to call the school and speak with the teacher. You know you are in trouble at home because you got in trouble at school this is a given. What you need to understand is that if the teachers story does not match your story the trouble you are going to be in will be MULTIPLIED.
From there I realized I was totally screwed and just came clean.
Why this is a hard concept for some parents to grasp is beyond me. At what point did the parents swing their thought process into the thinking that their child does no wrong? I mean seriously...what year did this happen? When I was a kid that was NOT the thought process.
I did find out that if I did screw up and did get a detention it was much easier just to say...YEP THAT PRETTY MUCH IS WHAT I DID. Life was much easier.
There are some parents though that will tell you this MYTH of all Myth's
MY CHILD DOES NOT LIE.
I got news for you CHIEF!!!! All kids lie when they are trying to cover up their tracks. They would rather try to turn it around on the school. It's called TRYING TO SAVE MY BUTT.
Like I have mentioned before educators are not perfect and they will make mistakes but when you hear some of these stories you know that the teacher would have to be an idiot to do something like this and that the kid is either twisting the story in their favor or in some instances completely making it up.
Heck I remember doing it when I was a kid. I was a pretty good kid in school but I did get a few detentions here and there my 6th grade year. One week those suckers seemed to just FIND me. In each case I deserved it. I remember trying to figure out a way to where either it appeared I did not deserve it or it was watered down my exact involvement. When I say watered down I mean so much so that instead of being the ring leader I was the one who just happened to be walking by and the teacher nailed all of us....that much watered down. Hey while you are at bat you might as well try for a homerun right?
My dad was hilarious. He would sit there very patiently and listen to my story. He would then say this....
Okay, I am going to call the school and speak with the teacher. You know you are in trouble at home because you got in trouble at school this is a given. What you need to understand is that if the teachers story does not match your story the trouble you are going to be in will be MULTIPLIED.
From there I realized I was totally screwed and just came clean.
Why this is a hard concept for some parents to grasp is beyond me. At what point did the parents swing their thought process into the thinking that their child does no wrong? I mean seriously...what year did this happen? When I was a kid that was NOT the thought process.
I did find out that if I did screw up and did get a detention it was much easier just to say...YEP THAT PRETTY MUCH IS WHAT I DID. Life was much easier.
SUPPORTING TEACHERS PART II
If you have not read the post below this one please do.
You know because I handle these problem situations with teachers I have a lot of respect from teachers. I know this because they feel comfortable coming and talking to me when they do screw up a little.
They will catch me in the hall during passing period or come find me during their planning period or before or after school and this is what I hear. I might have screwed up a little and you could be getting a phone call.
Well OKAY!!! Let's talk about it and see what we can do.
You see it is just like when a kid makes a mistake in your classroom. Discipline time is the MOST effective time to TEACH a kid how to do better. You might not knock out the habit all at once but if you cut it down from 5 times to 3 times that is making improvement.
It's the same concept when coaching teachers through those rough times. Even if they did in fact mess up I love coaching them through the thought process.....helping them with what to say....and what NOT to say. After going through this a couple times MOST of the time teachers get it.
Eventually this is what I hear. "I screwed up and you might get a phone call about ..... but I am on it."
That is music to my ears. That teacher has GROWN as a teacher and I know that I have had a small part in growing that teacher and making them better at what they do.
You know because I handle these problem situations with teachers I have a lot of respect from teachers. I know this because they feel comfortable coming and talking to me when they do screw up a little.
They will catch me in the hall during passing period or come find me during their planning period or before or after school and this is what I hear. I might have screwed up a little and you could be getting a phone call.
Well OKAY!!! Let's talk about it and see what we can do.
You see it is just like when a kid makes a mistake in your classroom. Discipline time is the MOST effective time to TEACH a kid how to do better. You might not knock out the habit all at once but if you cut it down from 5 times to 3 times that is making improvement.
It's the same concept when coaching teachers through those rough times. Even if they did in fact mess up I love coaching them through the thought process.....helping them with what to say....and what NOT to say. After going through this a couple times MOST of the time teachers get it.
Eventually this is what I hear. "I screwed up and you might get a phone call about ..... but I am on it."
That is music to my ears. That teacher has GROWN as a teacher and I know that I have had a small part in growing that teacher and making them better at what they do.
SUPPORTING TEACHERS...EVEN AFTER MISTAKES
Okay I am going to rant here just a little bit. As you know I am a school principal. There are parts of the job that are great but there are parts of the job that are not so great. Depending on who you are as a leader the list of what is great and not so great varies.
There comes a time where we all make mistakes. It comes with the territory. No matter what job you do you are going to make mistakes. LORD KNOWS I have made my fair share. As a teacher I was even written up once. You know what? I probably deserved it. I did not and still don't totally agree with it but I UNDERSTAND why it had to happen. POINT BEING...WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.
There is an administrator that I know that will remain nameless that HATES confrontation with parents. It is known by the teachers and definitely by the parents that if you are called into a parent meeting by the principal that you are going to lose face in this meeting 90% of the time. If I am a parent at this school and I have a problem it is also known by parents and teachers that all I have to do is call the principal and she will take care of it. This of course leaves the teacher completely out of the loop and unaware that there is even a problem. When teachers tell the principal that they were not aware of the problem because the parents had not talked to the teacher the Principal's answer to that is "That's how are parents are here at......elementary"
THEY ARE THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU LET THEM DO IT MORON!!!!!!
If a teacher makes a mistake at this elementary the principal pretty much leaves the teacher out to dry in front of the parents. Tell me what this does for moral. If you get called into one of these meetings you have NO IDEA what you did but you are pretty sure you are going to get creamed. OH PLEASE LET ME WORK FOR YOU O' LEADER.
I am sorry about that.
I remember when I first took over at my campus. I literally had a line every day of parents trying to kiss my butt so they could "Get In" with the principal. I of course shot this down quickly. It also told me a lot about the previous principal.
I don't know why this is so hard and I bet if I asked YOU how would you handle this situation you would do the same thing. HERE IS HOW I WOULD HANDLE IT.
Parent calls with complaint.
ME: I hear what you are saying Mr. or Mrs...... Tell me what did the teacher do to handle this situation when you talked to them about it?
Parent: Have not talked to teacher
ME: Well I tell you what. Here is the teachers number and their conference times. Go ahead and set up a time for that meeting and I will get in contact with the teacher and tell them that we have talked and they can be expecting your phone call. (I do that because I want the parents to know I am going to talk to the teacher about what we talked about so they don't change their story)
I then talk to the teacher and give them a warning about what is coming up and they can talk to me and give me their side of events. I also coach them on how to handle the situation and help them with wording when they talk to parents. You don't want to give the parents ammo for their weapon.
IF THE TEACHER SCREWED UP- YOU ALWAYS SUPPORT THE TEACHER IN FRONT OF THE PARENT.
Me: Mr or Mrs... WE could have handled this situation better. We have steps already in place so that this does not happen again. I apologize for the inconvenience.
When parent is gone: I talk to the teacher. Okay, a situation occured that we could have handled better. We all make mistakes but the important thing is that we learn from them and we become better at what we do because of them. If that is the case then in fact this was a GOOD mistake. We know what to do in the future and we will be better because of it. Okay? So go get'em chief!
THAT'S IT!!!!! Why is this so darn hard? Many times it never gets to this point because once the parent gets the facts from the teacher they realize their child LIED to cover their butt or so they thought. Really all they did was delay the beating.
Some administrators I guess just want to do anything to please the parent's. I am guessing they feel that if the parents are happy then they won't complain to central office and they won't have any problems.
What they don't realize is how little respect they have in their own building from the people who are in the trenches doing the dirty work every day. It really makes me want to THROW UP. When I see this administrator I just have so little respect for them because of what they put their teachers through.
Who is in charge of this building YOU the principal or the parents. Sadly, this school is run by the parents.
Do you think that MIGHT be the reason so many people are leaving Principal MORON?
There comes a time where we all make mistakes. It comes with the territory. No matter what job you do you are going to make mistakes. LORD KNOWS I have made my fair share. As a teacher I was even written up once. You know what? I probably deserved it. I did not and still don't totally agree with it but I UNDERSTAND why it had to happen. POINT BEING...WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.
There is an administrator that I know that will remain nameless that HATES confrontation with parents. It is known by the teachers and definitely by the parents that if you are called into a parent meeting by the principal that you are going to lose face in this meeting 90% of the time. If I am a parent at this school and I have a problem it is also known by parents and teachers that all I have to do is call the principal and she will take care of it. This of course leaves the teacher completely out of the loop and unaware that there is even a problem. When teachers tell the principal that they were not aware of the problem because the parents had not talked to the teacher the Principal's answer to that is "That's how are parents are here at......elementary"
THEY ARE THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU LET THEM DO IT MORON!!!!!!
If a teacher makes a mistake at this elementary the principal pretty much leaves the teacher out to dry in front of the parents. Tell me what this does for moral. If you get called into one of these meetings you have NO IDEA what you did but you are pretty sure you are going to get creamed. OH PLEASE LET ME WORK FOR YOU O' LEADER.
I am sorry about that.
I remember when I first took over at my campus. I literally had a line every day of parents trying to kiss my butt so they could "Get In" with the principal. I of course shot this down quickly. It also told me a lot about the previous principal.
I don't know why this is so hard and I bet if I asked YOU how would you handle this situation you would do the same thing. HERE IS HOW I WOULD HANDLE IT.
Parent calls with complaint.
ME: I hear what you are saying Mr. or Mrs...... Tell me what did the teacher do to handle this situation when you talked to them about it?
Parent: Have not talked to teacher
ME: Well I tell you what. Here is the teachers number and their conference times. Go ahead and set up a time for that meeting and I will get in contact with the teacher and tell them that we have talked and they can be expecting your phone call. (I do that because I want the parents to know I am going to talk to the teacher about what we talked about so they don't change their story)
I then talk to the teacher and give them a warning about what is coming up and they can talk to me and give me their side of events. I also coach them on how to handle the situation and help them with wording when they talk to parents. You don't want to give the parents ammo for their weapon.
IF THE TEACHER SCREWED UP- YOU ALWAYS SUPPORT THE TEACHER IN FRONT OF THE PARENT.
Me: Mr or Mrs... WE could have handled this situation better. We have steps already in place so that this does not happen again. I apologize for the inconvenience.
When parent is gone: I talk to the teacher. Okay, a situation occured that we could have handled better. We all make mistakes but the important thing is that we learn from them and we become better at what we do because of them. If that is the case then in fact this was a GOOD mistake. We know what to do in the future and we will be better because of it. Okay? So go get'em chief!
THAT'S IT!!!!! Why is this so darn hard? Many times it never gets to this point because once the parent gets the facts from the teacher they realize their child LIED to cover their butt or so they thought. Really all they did was delay the beating.
Some administrators I guess just want to do anything to please the parent's. I am guessing they feel that if the parents are happy then they won't complain to central office and they won't have any problems.
What they don't realize is how little respect they have in their own building from the people who are in the trenches doing the dirty work every day. It really makes me want to THROW UP. When I see this administrator I just have so little respect for them because of what they put their teachers through.
Who is in charge of this building YOU the principal or the parents. Sadly, this school is run by the parents.
Do you think that MIGHT be the reason so many people are leaving Principal MORON?
Monday, May 5, 2008
Suckered In Through Advertising
This weekend my wife and I were traveling through East Texas. If you ever do this you will notice the signs for Tyler Roses $2.00. Having gone to college in East Texas I saw these signs 13 years ago. Next to the sign you see these beautiful rose bushes that are all different colors. Well yesterday when I stopped for gas I noticed a "Tyler Roses" set up at the gas station. My wife has been wanting to get some rose bushes going so I suggested we go over there and pick out some stuff. She was all for it. I thought...heck at 2 bucks a plant I will take one of everything! Rose bushes at Home Depot are like 12 bucks for one.
Well I got there and I see that the 2 bucks are the rose bushes that are literally STICKS! You will see a rose in a year or two. The good news is the bushes were 6 bucks a piece. Still a bargain but the 2 buck sign is what sucked me in.
Well I got there and I see that the 2 bucks are the rose bushes that are literally STICKS! You will see a rose in a year or two. The good news is the bushes were 6 bucks a piece. Still a bargain but the 2 buck sign is what sucked me in.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Dear God
As you know God tomorrow marks the first day of my 37th year. I have many things to be thankful for during my 36th year. I had a very successful year professionally and I thank you for a wonderful work family that I love dearly. I had the opportunity to spend 5 wonderful days with Tracey on a cruise to celebrate our 10th year of marriage. I had many opportunities to spend time with my kids during the holiday's. You blessed me in my treatment in that I was home for all of the major holidays.
My birthday wish for this year God is health. I ask that I am not taken away from my kids for weeks at a time. I ask that for this year you grant me health and happiness for my family. Thank you God for looking after my family this year while I was away. Please continue to do so as I continue to recover from my transplant and transition back into the workforce.
Thank you God,
JDH
My birthday wish for this year God is health. I ask that I am not taken away from my kids for weeks at a time. I ask that for this year you grant me health and happiness for my family. Thank you God for looking after my family this year while I was away. Please continue to do so as I continue to recover from my transplant and transition back into the workforce.
Thank you God,
JDH
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